Research News

By MARCENE ROBINSON

“In this round of pilot projects, we were able to focus on the intersection of the genome and the microbiome.”

Jennifer Surtees, associate professor of biochemistry and co-director

Community of Excellence in Genome, Environment and Microbiome

Three studies focused on improving our understanding of the
human microbiome were awarded funding through the second round of
research pilots supported by UB’s Community of Excellence in
Genome, Environment and Microbiome (GEM).

The projects, which total more than $110,000, will study how the
relationship between the human body and the collection of
microorganisms that reside on or within it affect our risk for
certain diseases.

Understanding the connection these microorganisms have with our
bodies may enable the development of personalized medicine and
empower individuals to have greater control over their health.

The pilot grants award researchers from a variety of disciplines
up to $50,000 to develop innovative projects focused on the
microbiome. The funds support up to one year of research.

The awards are provided through GEM, an interdisciplinary
community of UB faculty and staff dedicated to advancing research
on the genome and microbiome. GEM is one of UB’s three
Communities of Excellence, a $9 million initiative to harness the
strengths of faculty and staff from fields across the university to
confront the challenges facing humankind through research,
education and engagement.

“In this round of pilot projects, we were able to focus on
the intersection of the genome and the microbiome. This allows us
to understand how microbes affect us and our health. It also
starts to answer how our own genes affect the environment in which
human microbes have to live and survive,” says Jennifer
Surtees, GEM co-director and associate professor in the Department
of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical
Sciences.

“We are thrilled that all three funded projects resulted
from strong interdisciplinary collaborations that were stimulated
by GEM."

Along with Surtees, GEM is led by Timothy Murphy, executive
director and SUNY Distinguished Professor of Medicine; and Norma
Nowak, co-director, professor of biochemistry and executive
director of UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in
Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

The funded projects involve faculty teams from the Jacobs School
of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public Health
and Health Professions, and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Tracking the global spread of Klebsiella pneumoniae, an antibiotic-resistant superbug

A lethal form of the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) is
spreading across the Asian Pacific Rim. Unlike most Klebsiella
infections in Western countries that typically cause illness in
health care settings, hvKP can cause serious life- and
organ-threatening infections in healthy individuals living in the
community. Worse, hvKP has become increasingly resistant to
antibiotics.

Although all ethnic groups have suffered infections from hvKP,
people of Asian descent are disproportionately affected. UB
researchers will study the density of infections at various
geographic locations to understand whether the higher prevalence
among Asian ethnic groups is due to more frequent exposure,
genetics or another factor.

The results could lend insight into the risk of hvKP infection,
assist in understanding how it develops, help identify populations
at risk and improve knowledge on prevention.

The study is led by Thomas Russo, professor and chief of the
Division of Infectious Disease, and Peter Elkin, professor and
chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics, both in the
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Decoding the genetic evolution of the skin microbiome in psoriasis and eczema patients

Immune responses to the wide range of microbial organisms
colonized on and within human skin have led to a number of major
genetic adaptions. Yet, researchers have not solved why autoimmune
and inflammatory disorders, such as psoriasis and eczema, are
common and have not been eliminated from the general population by
natural selection.

The question has led a team of researchers to investigate the
role that skin plays in our vulnerability to autoimmune and
inflammatory disorders, which affect hundreds of millions of
people. The study will analyze the genetic variations and
microbiomes of non-affected and affected skin samples from
psoriasis and eczema patients.

Principle investigators are Omer Gokcumen, assistant professor
in the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and
Sciences, and Animesh Sinha, Rita M. and Ralph T. Behling Professor
and chair of the Department of Dermatology, Jacobs School of
Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Additional collaborators are Kristina Seiffert-Sinha, research
assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology; Daniel Gaile,
assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics, School of
Public Health and Health Professions; David Tritchler, research
professor, Department of Biostatistics; and Ran Blekhman, assistant
professor in the College of Biological Sciences at the University
of Minnesota.

Over the course of an infection, pathogenic fungi continuously
adjust to the human body, changing as they move to different areas.
The microbes sense and adapt to the various nutrient environments
within their hosts, and respond with the necessary gene-expression
patterns.

One way the fungi sense nutrients is through the levels of
common metabolites, such as NAD+, which is required by enzymes
called sirtuins to repress gene expression. However, it remains
poorly understood how NAD+ acts as a signaling molecule.

The researchers will examine three pathogenic fungi that cause
serious illness among people with weakened immune systems. Their
goal is to determine which genes are regulated by sirtuins and are
activated when NAD+ is low, and learn how nutrient availability
influences NAD+ concentrations.

The study is led by Laura Rusche, associate professor,
Department of Biological Sciences. Additional investigators include
John Panepinto, associate professor, Department of Microbiology and
Immunology, and Tao Liu, assistant professor, Department of
Biochemistry, both in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical
Sciences.

GEM is advancing genome science through cutting-edge pilot
research projects. Researchers partner across disciplines to
investigate connections between the airway microbiome and cancer,
probiotics and obesity treatments, and much more.

Genomic themes are integrated across the curriculum at UB,
offering students the chance to explore the "big" questions that
relate to data, genomics and the microbiome.

Engaging next generations

7/22/16

GEM partners with K-12 teachers and schools throughout the
region to embed genomic and microbiomic literacy in the curriciulum
through hands-on activities in classrooms, on-campus lab visits,
and special events.